Strengthen your call to action with these 9 tips

A good call to action can lead to a wealth of opportunities; however, creating an effective call to action can be tricky. Be too pushy and you can turn people off, but if you’re unclear or inconsistent, you can cause confusion. Here are 10 tips to strengthen your call to action and start generating leads!

1)   Create engaging subject lines and headings.

Chances are you’re probably skimming this article right now. It’s in our nature. We stop only when something catches our interest. The most popular email subject lines that subscribers click on include discount offers, free offers or familiar brand names. Create subject lines that are personal and engaging; create headings that speak to your users and tell them what they’re going to get. Be straightforward and catchy at the same time.

2)   Test your content.

The only way to learn if what you choose to say is working is to test it. Create two tests for the same type of content (ie: subject lines, headings, ad campaign text, etc.) and use you analytics (email service provider, online ad tracking, website analytics) to determine which piece of content or test received the most clicks. Then use calls to action like those more often in your content; the type of content your audience is more apt to click on.

3)   Create a sense of urgency.

If you don’t start a fire underneath your target audience, they’ll never feel obligated to follow through. Use words in your call to action like “limited time only,” “now,” or “today.” And make sure that your offerings are urgent. If you send the same message each month with the “today only” context, your audience will catch on and figure that you’ll always send reminders and the like for the “urgent” offerings.

4)   Generate the right language.

You don’t have much time or space to make elicit action online. Tell your audience exactly what’s in it for them, if they use your call to action. Be clear, concise and assertive.

5)   Ask questions.

Asking a question can be a great way to grab your reader’s attention. Make it thought-provoking and relevant to the topic at hand.

6)   Create and use buttons.

Designing a button can help clearly delineate where and what your call to action is. If you want to people to call, create a hyperlink box around the phone number. Use simple images, colors and designs. The button should follow your brand guidelines.

7)   Use strategic placement.

Even though we’re going deeper than design “above the fold,” calls to action work best if they are above the “fold” or placed in an area where your reader would be thinking, “what’s next?” Also, don’t discount placing the same call to action in multiple areas. This way you can reach your readers in various areas and stages of content.

8)   Make it newsworthy.

Use the RSS feeds, Google Alerts and industry newsletters you subscribe to think of creative ways to generate unique calls to action that are relevant and compelling for your reader.

9)  Measure your conversions.

After you’ve considered your options and created your new CTAs (calls to action), make sure you measure how well they are doing. For example, if we’re talking about email, you can see click through rates from your subject lines, how long the reader viewed the email, if your CTA was selected, and how many leads converted into sales.

The best tip for using calls to action: Start. Make sure that you know what you utlimately want your audience to do once they read your content. Whether it’s to sign-up for your mailing list, register for an event or follow you on your company’s social media channels, have a plan of attack. And we encourage you to share below: What has been the best performing call to action for your business?